Menu

Jackie Green on Green Energy Jobs

Louisville, Ky. — Jackie Green responds to today’s news that the Kentucky Economic Development has offered $7 million in incentives to an Australian company to build a coal-drying plant in Louisville, and that the EPA is being pressed to cut coal ash water pollution from Louisville’s Mill Creek power plant.

“Rather than perpetuate contaminates in our water, mountain top removal and sending Louisville dollars out of our local economy, Louisville needs to attract manufacturers of solar panels to Louisville (creating local jobs), install those panels on our roofs (creating more jobs) and keep Louisville energy dollars in Louisville. Let’s find a greener use of the $7 million.”

Post navigation

8 thoughts on “Jackie Green on Green Energy Jobs”

The whole “Green Job” movement is about as viable as the ethanol industry. It only operates with the injection of government supports for products that make little or no real impact to the reduction of hydrocarbons. It has been sold as some holy grail of salvation to replace the jobs that Cap & Trade will inevitably destroy or push outside of the country.

If we continue with this business plan for the significant reduction of hydrocarbons, we are going to continue to be disappointed. We are spending billions of dollars in subsidizing the usage of hand shovels (solar panels, bio-diesel, ethanol, geothermal, wind) in an attempt to replace bulldozers ( coal, oil, natural gas).

Instead of subsidizing the development of solar panel and wind farm plants, we instead should be putting that money in the funding of the development of home or business fuel cell which can utilize natural gas to generate significant quantities of far cleaner electricity in quantities that make an real impact.

We can fund all of the residential solar panel plants we want, but they still will not generate enough electricity to make any significant impact on coal or oil demand. We are wasting time and wasting money chasing these insignificant paths to greener energy.

I’m spinning anything. I never said all green jobs are focused on global warming, but certainly that has been the push of the Obama administration who is speaking from some some battery plant, wind, or solar plant every week that received federal stimulus monies. If thy are not receiving direct stimulus, they are certainly benefiting from federal and state tax incentives for the installation of their products.

Maybe I am ignorant. Please enlighten me to the green job sector that has created a significant number of jobs that doesn’t rely on direct subsidies or government tax incentives to market the sale of their products.

What am I missing? Wasn’t Mr. Green suggesting that we invest $7M in government money into solar panel plants here in Louisville?

All I’m suggesting is that the course that we have taken over the past three decades hasn’t gotten us any closer to the finding an real alternative to replacing hydrocarbons. At what point do we try to take another route?

I have worked in the coal fields of Harlan and Letcher counties trying to reduce acid mine drainage and other mining legacy impacts. I hate mountain-top removal as much as you do.

There are several independent studies that show that green jobs, such as clean energy (i.e. solar) and retrofitting old homes for energy efficiency, will create many thousands of jobs in the U.S. Make no mistake about that. Mr. Green is the only mayoral candidate that truely believes in pushing this agenda.

Most early game changing industries started off relying on gov’t subsidies i.e. nuclear power, the railroads, and automobiles. That said I just don’t see where Louisville has a competitive advantage in solar panel research or instalation. Germany got the early jump on research and development and has recently been switching manufacturing to lower cost manufacturing economies in Asia. The major solar growth industry will be in large scale generation, storage and transmission from the deserts to cities. Given our state’s agrarian tradition Louisville should focus some of it’s R&D money into cracking the cellulosic ethanol problem.

SEARCH

Search for:

TASTY STUFF

Vegeterian? Vegan? Low-carb? Gluten-free? Body builder? Getting healthy? Vitamins? Herbs? Just want healthier snacks? May be strange to link to but Jake swears by this place & loves tons of products there. How do you think he lost half a person? Plus we get a referral fee if you make a purchase!